New details have come to light regarding the terrifying plane crash in Scottsdale that claimed six lives earlier this year.
28-year-old James Pedroza was a student pilot sitting in the front of the private plane that went down on April 9 in TPC Scottsdale Champions Golf Course not long after takeoff.
Now, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has revealed that Pedroza had cocaine in his system when he died, although it is not clear whether he or certified pilot Erik Valente, 26, was in control of the aircraft at the time of the crash. Valente was also sitting in the front of the plane.
Both men perished, along with 23-year-olds Iris Rodriguez Garcia and Mariah Sunshine Coogan, 26-year-old Anand Patel and 22-year-old Helena Lagos. The plane was bound for Las Vegas.
Online records are available on the medical examiner’s website, and records show that all but one of the passengers sustained blunt force injuries and burns.
Prior to the crash, Pedroza checked in with air traffic control and did not report any mechanical issues with the plane.
For more information, please visit the official website of the Maricopa County Medical Examiner here.